May 1: Parker Millsap

Oklahoma singer-songwriter Parker Millsap has quickly made a name for himself with his captivating live performances, soulful sound and character-driven songwriting. He performs a sold-out concert 7 p.m. May 1 at ACM@UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave., in Oklahoma City.

The events are part of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma’s continuing Metro Music Series celebrating the school’s 10th anniversary.

ACM@UCO’s Metro Music Series is sponsored by Oklahoma Gazette, Exchange Music, KOSU Radio, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, and the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works initiative.

Sam Weber, an indie singer-songwriter and musician from Victoria, British Columbia, returns to OKC for a concert 7 p.m. April 8 at ACM@UCO Performance Lab. Tickets are $10 at acm-uco.eventbrite.com.

Weber is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in the vein of Jackson Browne, The Band, The Wood Brothers and Gillian Welch. He has been touring independently and internationally with his band since 2013. Years spent refining songs at home in North Saanich, BC and working in studios in Los Angeles have honed Weber’s craft to a fine point.

His live show pairs heartfelt songwriting with world-class musicianship and three-part harmony. He has released two LPs to date, “Shadows in the Road” (2014) and “Valentina Nevada” (2016). Through the characters and anecdotes in his songs, Weber sings about the truths of love, life and family.

He and his band released a new EP, “New Agile Freedom,” in 2018 and are now on tour.

ACM@UCO’s Metro Music Series is sponsored by Oklahoma Gazette, Exchange Music, KOSU Radio, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, and the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works initiative.

ACM@UCO’s .WAV Festival celebrates women in music with two days of empowering music and performances, March 2-3 at the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) and its ACM Performance Lab in downtown Oklahoma City.

Festival admission is free and open to the public, except for Sunday’s festival-headlining show by acclaimed Chicago hip-hop and spoken-word rapper Noname, who performs 8 p.m. March 3 at ACM Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave. Elton and Original Flow & The Fervent Route open the show. Tickets for the Noname concert are $25 and are sold out, although a limited number of tickets might be released for sale closer to the event date.

Popular Americana sweetheart The Annie Oakley headlines the March 2 roster, performing a at 8 p.m. inside the Songwriting Room on the first floor of ACM@UCO’s main campus at 25 S. Oklahoma Avenue (first floor) in downtown Oklahoma City’s Bricktown entertainment district.

Organized and run by members of ACM’s Women Audio Vision (.WAV) student organization, .WAV Festival showcases multiple genres and more than a dozen music acts performing grunge pop, Americana, blues, folk, singer-songwriter, rap and hip-hop and more.

“.WAV Fest was created to empower women in the music industry,” said Katie Carmichael, student president of ACM@UCO Women Audio Vision (.WAV). “The event features bands with women and women solo artists, as well as dancers, artists and photographers.

“The two-day event is also a food drive for Sisu Youth in OKC that helps homeless youth in the area,” Carmichael added.

All .WAV Festival visitors are encouraged to donate nonperishable food items to benefit Sisu Youth Services, an Oklahoma City nonprofit organization that helps shelter and care for homeless youth living in our community. The mission of Sisu Youth, Inc. is to ensure that young people experiencing adversity have a safe place to sleep, the security to dream and the support to make a positive impact on the world.

“We think .WAV Fest is important because not only are we representing ACM to show how vital the work they’re doing is in Oklahoma, but also to show how many women and female-identifying people are working in the arts in Oklahoma City to help shape the scene,” Carmichael explained.

In fact, the student organization she leads, ACM@UCO Women’s Audio Vision, just began its second year on the school’s downtown campus.

“This is our second year as an organization, but first under the name Women’s Audio Vision,” which is open to everyone, including female and female-identifying members, Carmichael said. “Our purpose is to show other women they aren’t alone in this business and to create a community of capable, trained professional women in OKC.”

ACM@UCO’s Women’s Audio Vision group and the .WAV Festival is funded by the University of Central Oklahoma Student Association. As part of ACM@UCO’s Metro Music Series, the Noname concert is funded in part by the support of its sponsors, including Oklahoma Gazette, Exchange Music, KOSU Radio, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, and the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works initiative.

Oklahoma native Parker Millsap has quickly made a name for himself with his captivating live performances, soulful sound and character-driven songwriting. He performs 7 p.m. May 1 at ACM@UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave., in Oklahoma City.

The event is part of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma’s (ACM@UCO) continuing Metro Music Series celebrating the school’s 10th anniversary.

Millsap has had a string of highlights in recent years: A network television debut on “Conan,” a performance with Elton John at Apple Music Festival in London, an Austin City Limits taping and an Album of the Year nomination from the Americana Music Association. He has also received praise from The New York Times, The Boston Globe, LA Times, The Austin Chronicle and Rolling Stone to name a few.

He first picked up an acoustic guitar at age 9, then plugged in and went electric after getting into Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Millsap eventually started a cover band with classmate Michael Rose, who still plays bass with him today. Over the years, he recruited musicians Daniel Foulks (fiddle) and Andrew Bones (drums) to join his band.

Parker’s first three full-length releases — 2012’s “Palisade,” 2014’s self-titled LP and 2016’s “The Very Last Day” — showcased a primal mastery of acoustic folk rock, with their flourish for revelation and fiery dynamics all recorded with extreme precision, purpose and efficiency.

ACM@UCO’s Metro Music Series is sponsored by Oklahoma Gazette, Exchange Music, KOSU Radio, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, and the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works initiative.

In a multi-act event promoting storytelling and its various forms, the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) presents Literati Variety Show, 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at ACM@UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave., in Oklahoma City. Admission is free.

“This is a celebration of storytelling as entertainment as well as a force to give meaning to life,” Martin said. “We are uniting artists from all mediums — music, poetry, comedy, anyone with a good story and the wherewithal to tell it well.”

The Feb. 9 event is presented by ACM@UCO as part of its Metro Music Series celebrating the school’s 10th anniversary.

Martin hosts the show, where he’ll introduce a music and literary pairing by hip-hop act Original Flow and The Fervent Route; a conversation with George Lang, editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Gazette; Heath Huffman, Public Access comedian of note; authors Holly Sampson Hall and Jeremy Hall with a performance reading of “The Most Wonderful Wonder”; and Molly O’Connor, founder of OKC StorySlam.

The show is co-organized by longtime local artist, Oklahoma City Arts Commissioner and Istvan Art owner and manager Stephen Kovash. Speaking recently to Oklahoma Gazette, Kovash said one of his goals with this show is to establish a new artistic family in the metro.

“Things are starting to coalesce in terms of Oklahoma writers,” he told the Gazette. “And so I think what Charles is doing here is perfect timing. … There’s hunger for ideas, and there’s pent-up demand, but there’s also a supply that’s pent-up. So maybe if we can get those people together, it’s going to explode.”

ACM@UCO’s Metro Music Series is sponsored by Oklahoma Gazette, Exchange Music, KOSU Radio, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, and the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works initiative.

About the Performers

Molly O’Connor:O’Connor is an Oklahoma City-based multi-disciplinary artist and cultural worker. Her creative and artistic practices include visual art, creative writing, original solo performance work and storytelling. In 2005, O’Connor founded OKC StorySlam, a monthly, competitive open-mic storytelling event influenced by “The Moth Radio Hour” and podcast.

Holly Sampson Hall and Jeremy Hall:Holly Samson Hall and Jeremy Hall write and perform dark folk music as Welcome Little Stranger. Creators of “The Most Wonderful Wonder” podcast, the Halls explore tragedy, folklore and strange, true tales from the back pages of American history.

Heath Huffman:Huffman is a stand-up comic born and raised in Oklahoma City. He tells jokes that highlight the absurdity of working out, the quirkiness of his religious upbringing and the peculiar world of cheap Italian food. He also hosts two podcasts — Christian music review show “The Praisedown” with Heath and Alex, and comic book narration show “Paneled,” both of which some people (not him) think are very good.

George Lang:Lang is a journalist who has worked for Oklahoma Gazette multiple times since 1994. He returned as its editor-in-chief in 2017. In the interim, he also wrote for The Oklahoman. While there, he became its assistant entertainment editor, interviewing about 95 percent of film industry’s A-listers and hosting an award-winning video series about local musicians, “Static.” He hosts “Spy 101” radio show 8 p.m. Saturdays on The Spy (KOSU) and he teaches at ACM@UCO.

Original Flow and The Fervent Route:
Oklahoma City-based music act Original Flow & The Fervent Route mixes high-octane lyrical content with live instrumentation and old-school hip-hop delivery. It also includes ACM@UCO alumni.

About ACM@UCO Metro Music Series

The 2018-2019 school year marks ACM@UCO’s tenth anniversary. To celebrate, it expanded its long-running Metro Music Festival into a yearlong event. The revamped Metro Music Series includes the High Noon Showcase, presenting free shows by ACM@UCO-tied music acts and tastemakers; its ACM@UCO Performance Lab series by regional and national touring acts; and a growing roster of masterclasses, clinics and workshops with industry leaders, many of which are open to students and the public.

Longtime Oklahoma musician JD McPherson hosted a masterclass Oct. 26, 2018, to a capacity audience at ACM@UCO Performance Lab in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The third-annual Music Networking and Mentoring Event was made possible by a partnership with The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Metro Music Series and the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.

About ACM@UCO Metro Music Series

The 2018-2019 school year marks ACM@UCO’s tenth anniversary. To celebrate, it expanded its long-running Metro Music Festival into a yearlong event. The revamped Metro Music Series includes the High Noon Showcase, presenting free shows by ACM@UCO-tied music acts and tastemakers; its ACM@UCO Performance Lab series by regional and national touring acts; and a growing roster of masterclasses, clinics and workshops with industry leaders, many of which are open to students and the public.

About ACM@UCO Metro Music Series

The 2018-2019 school year marks ACM@UCO’s tenth anniversary. To celebrate, it expanded its long-running Metro Music Festival into a yearlong event. The revamped Metro Music Series includes the High Noon Showcase, presenting free shows by ACM@UCO-tied music acts and tastemakers; its ACM@UCO Performance Lab series by regional and national touring acts; and a growing roster of masterclasses, clinics and workshops with industry leaders, many of which are open to students and the public.

Maps & Atlases performed Nov. 1, 2018 at ACM@UCO Performance Lab in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ACM@UCO-tied band Magic Munchbox opened the ACM@UCO Metro Music Series event.

“Now a trio, Maps & Atlases connect the roller-coaster guitar fretting and weighted timbres of their earlier albums with frenetic synth touches,” Pitchfork reviewer Amanda Wicks said of the album “Lightnessness is Nothing New,” released July 1. “The polished result is their most accessible album to date, touching on Peter Gabriel’s fizzy pop proclivities and reaching for TV on the Radio’s early grandness.”

In the brooding-yet-playful vein of Talking Heads or Peter Gabriel, Maps embraces the paradox of what it is to be human — constantly searching and, forever unsatiated, returning with everlasting hope to the ever-darkening fray. The deceptively upbeat “Lightlessness is Nothing New” unveils a gorgeous, complex, slightly skewed take on pop music.

Photos by Tanner Laws | University of Central Oklahoma

Magic Munchbox

Oklahoma City experimental funk-rock quartet Magic Munchbox opens for national touring act Maps & Atlases Nov. 1, 2018 at ACM@UCO Performance Lab in Oklahoma City. The ACM@UCO-tied band includes a student and alumnus in its lineup: Gilson Machtolff on guitar, skeeter on guitar, Michael Vaughan on bass and Robby Andersen on drums.

Photos by Tanner Laws | University of Central Oklahoma

About ACM@UCO Metro Music Series

The 2018-2019 school year marks ACM@UCO’s tenth anniversary. To celebrate, it expanded its long-running Metro Music Festival into a yearlong event. The revamped Metro Music Series includes the High Noon Showcase, presenting free shows by ACM@UCO-tied music acts and tastemakers; its ACM@UCO Performance Lab series by regional and national touring acts; and a growing roster of masterclasses, clinics and workshops with industry leaders, many of which are open to students and the public.

Check out her first-ever video, “Blaxploitation,” from her recent release “Room 25” and the related article in Rolling Stone.

Says Rolling Stone of the video: On Tuesday, the Chicago rapper dropped the “film” for “Blaxploitation,” a quick, frenetic cut from this year’s excellent Room 25. In it, she’s nowhere to be seen. Instead, a giant child frolics through Chicago; they’re as large as a skyscraper and play, nap and destroy their way through the city streets. “Chicago Under Siege,” the television chyrons read, “Monster Baby Must Be Stopped.”

The March 3 concert is part of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma’s (ACM@UCO) continuing Metro Music Series celebrating the school’s 10th anniversary.

In 2016, her debut album, the “Telefone” mixtape, found the artist introducing herself to a worldwide audience. Describing the project as “an introductory conversation with someone you’re interested in,” she quickly earned everyone’s attention.

In September 2018, her full-length studio album “Room 25” was again received with universal acclaim.

She grew up in Bronzeville, a historic neighborhood on Chicago’s southside that has famously attracted accomplished black artists and intellectuals of all types. After releasing “Telefone,” she relocated to Los Angeles, where she’s said she prefers live comedy to high-dollar indulgence.

In time for the holidays, the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) hosts events Dec. 7 and 8 that deliver great live, local music while uplifting our community.

Oklahoma’s communities endure a higher rate of food insecurity than the national average, consistently ranking among the top 10 states facing this issue. More than half a million Oklahoma men, women and children struggle with food insecurity every day, and our “week of giving” will help provide much-needed aid to three local organizations — the Jesus House, The Homeless Alliance and Northeast Resource Center.

Second, the following night is HIP HOP FOR A CAUSE, 7-9 p.m. Dec. 8 in ACM@UCO’s Songwriting Room, 25 S. Oklahoma Ave. (first floor), in Bricktown. The showcase features up-and-coming artists while supporting the Northeast Resource Center with a clothing drive. Cover is $5 or donation of new or gently used clothing.

The events are part of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma’s (ACM@UCO) continuing Metro Music Series celebrating the school’s 10th anniversary.

ACM@UCO’s Metro Music Series is sponsored by Oklahoma Gazette, Exchange Music, KOSU Radio, ArtWorks, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Oklahoma Arts Council.

Dec. 7: Combsy and Henna Roso

Chris Combs, guitarist, composer and member of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, released his first, self-titled solo album, “Combsy,” in late 2017. “Combsy” is a lush, groove-heavy album, deftly sourcing jazz, hip-hop, electronic and rock genres with sonic landscapes that appeal to festy heads, jazz junkies and music lovers of all types.

With a stellar lineup of Tulsa and New Orleans musicians, a rich layer of rhythms and horns provide the platform and space for Combs to spread out and explore his nuanced guitar work.

Although far from careful, “Combsy” comes to the ear as curated and intentional and with a healthy sense of both the history and future of instrumental music. The group’s new single, “Fell Through,” was released in October, available on Spotify.

Joining Combsy is Henna Roso, a musical collective dedicated to fighting hunger in America. Blending elements of jazz, funk, and soul Henna Roso creates a unique sonic landscape rich in melody and feel. The band has heart, too, and is dedicated to fighting hunger. It hosts food drives at each of its shows and donates 10 percent of all its revenue to help fight food insecurity, providing sustained support for hunger-related issues.

The event showcases Oklahoma musicians and Horton Records, based in Tulsa and founded by its namesake, Brian Horton. Horton Records is a nonprofit, volunteer-sustained organization providing everything from band management to creating, sustaining and promoting local music and Oklahoma’s musical heritage.

Dec. 8: Hip Hop for a Cause

Nov. 8 Hip Hop for a Cause performers include Kayai, Kuda, Queen Caution, The True CW, Odessa Ireign, Indygo Shai, and DJ Shaheed Ali will be on the ones and twos at ACM@UCO’s main campus, in its Songwriting Room.

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